Grace, Accuracy, and Power
by Martial Arts Master
Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, Satoshi Tajiri, TV Tokyo, and Wizards of the Coast. I made up Selina, Ray, and Kyle, though. This story takes place after the "Wired For Battle" episode just like my "Electric Teamwork" fanfic did. Now, let's start the story!
***
Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were walking through the forest yet AGAIN, still headed for Azalea Town.
Suddenly a male trainer with orange hair, a green shirt, and plaid pants ran up to them.
"I'm looking for Brock Harrison from Pewter City," the trainer said. "Ya know him?"
"Yeah, I'm Brock!" Brock said.
"I'd like to have a match," the other trainer said. "At least, if you're the former Pewter City Gym Leader others claim you are."
"Of course I am!" Brock said. "Let's get started."
"Wonder why he didn't challenge ME," Ash whispered to Misty.
"Maybe because you're not a Gym Leader like Brock is," Misty whispered back.
"Let's each use our WEAKEST Pokemon so they can get some experience," the other trainer said.
"Fine with me," Brock said.
He brought out Zubat's Poke Ball and threw it, saying, "Zubat, here we go!"
Zubat came out of its Poke Ball, and the ball returned to Brock's hand.
"Farfetch'd, let's cream this guy!" the other trainer said, sending out a Farfetch'd.
"This should be interesting," Misty said to herself. "The only time Brock's ever used Zubat in battle was at Mount Moon."
Unfortunately for Brock, the other trainer overheard.
"Only one battle?" the other trainer asked rhetorically, guffawing. "My Farfetch'd is my least experienced Pokemon, and it's been in 53 battles!"
"53?!" Brock shouted, sweatdropping.
"Wanna back down?" the other trainer taunted.
"No way," Brock said. "Zubat, Supersonic!"
"Farfetch'd, Sand Attack!" the other trainer commanded.
Farfetch'd sent out some sand at Zubat, and Zubat let out Supersonic waves. But Farfetch'd's sand threw off Zubat's aim, and it missed.
"Good job. Now, Leer!" the other trainer commanded.
Farfetch'd's eyes glowed, leering at Zubat and lowering its Defense statistic.
"Zubat, try another Supersonic!" Brock said. "If we confuse it we can win!"
"Farfetch'd, fly away!" the other trainer called out.
Zubat sent out more Supersonic waves, but Farfetch'd flew over them and behind Zubat.
"Finish it off with a Fury Attack!" the other trainer commanded.
Farfetch'd whacked Zubat with its leek repeatedly, and Zubat fainted.
"Oh no!" Brock said, running over to its Zubat. It checked Zubat's pulse, and luckily Zubat's pulse was still strong and steady. Brock recalled Zubat.
"That's what happens when you under-use one of your Pokemon," the other trainer said, giving his Farfetch'd a hug and recalling it.
"And you were the former Pewter City Gym Leader," the other trainer said, scoffing. The other trainer then ran off.
"I think the other trainer has a point," Ash said. "You usually use Geodude, Onix, or Vulpix."
"And what about you? You usually use Pikachu," Brock retorted.
Ash sweatdropped.
"It looks like I'll have to learn more about breeding AND training Pokemon," Brock said. "But where will I learn from? It won't just fly up and smack me in the face!"
A poster, blown by the wind, smacked into Brock's face. Brock pulled it off.
"You were saying?" Misty teased.
Brock read the poster and got excited.
"You guys, remember Master Bruno, of the Elite Four?" Brock asked.
Ash and Misty nodded.
"Well Bruno's holding a battle demonstration in a town just north of here!" Brock said. "And admission is free! If we hurry, we can make it!"
With that Brock took off running north.
"Whoa, slow down Brock!" Ash said, he, Misty, and Pikachu running after Brock. Ash whispered to Misty, "I've never seen Brock get this excited before."
"Well, you know how Brock idolizes Bruno," Misty whispered back.
Eventually they arrived at the town.
"Excuse me," Brock said to someone who was passing by. "Do you know how we can get to Bruno's battle demonstration?"
"Oh sure, it's in the center of town," the person said. "In fact, I'm going there now. I'll take you there!"
Later, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were sitting in a stadium. Soon, Bruno came out from a door that led to the stadium floor. Bruno waved to everyone.
Ash, Misty, and Brock recognized him from having met him in Mt. Hideaway.
"Look, it's really him!" Brock said.
"Yeah, I just hope he's competent in battle," Misty said.
"Of course he's competent in battle! He's an Elite Four member, remember?" Brock said.
"Good afternoon, everyone!" Bruno called out to the audience.
"As you may have heard, I'm holding a battle demonstration here just like Prima did on Mandarin Island in the Orange Islands," Bruno continued. "After I hold this battle demonstration, I will tell you all some tips on raising Pokemon."
Bruno smiled as he continued, "Because after all, I may be battling you someday, and I only wanna battle good trainers."
"I will need five Pokemon trainer volunteers, one after another," Bruno finished. "With each of the five volunteers, I will have a one-on-one Pokemon battle. Raise your hand, and I might call on you."
Immediately Ash, Misty, and Brock raised there hands, along with everyone else in the audience. Evidently each and every one of the audience members was a Pokemon trainer too.
Brock pointed a finger at a little blond girl sitting near the front row.
"You, there, would you like to come up?" Bruno asked her.
"Yes, sir," the girl said shyly.
She hopped out of her seat and went to the stadium floor, among cheers from the other audience members at the prospect of seeing Bruno battle.
"What's your name, little girl?" Bruno asked.
"My name is Selina," the girl said shyly.
"Well, Selina, let's get the battle over with," Bruno said.
"Yes sir," Selina said, going to the side of the floor opposite Bruno.
"Please send out your Pokemon," Bruno said.
"Ok...Clefairy, come on out," Selina said, sending out a Clefairy.
"A Clefairy?" Brock asked incredulously. "I hope Selina has a good strategy."
"Hitmontop, I choose you!" Bruno said, sending out a Pokemon. This Pokemon kept standing on its head, and it was moving really weirdly.
"What is THAT?!" Ash asked. He nearly brought out his Pokedex, but changed his mind as he didn't want to miss the match.
"A Hitmontop, I guess," Brock said.
"Since you're young and inexperienced, I'll let YOU go first," Bruno said.
"Ok," Selina said meekly. "Clefairy, Metronome."
Clefairy waved its fingers back and forth. Suddenly it curled up into a ball and rolled at Hitmontop.
"Rollout," Bruno guessed. "Hitmontop, Triple Kick."
Hitmontop waited until Clefairy came to it, and then kicked Clefairy three times, knocking it to the ground. Clefairy got up.
"Try another Metronome," Selina suggested.
Clefairy waved its fingers again. It jumped at Hitmontop and clamped Hitmontop in its hands.
"Clamp," Bruno said, chuckling. "We know how to take care of that. Hitmontop, Rapid Spin!"
Hitmontop spun very rapidly like a top, hence its name. Clefairy was dislodged but landed on its feet.
Ash checked Dexter, which said, "Rapid Spin. This move will help a Pokemon escape from binding moves like Bind, Clamp, Wrap, etc."
"Wow, good strategy," Brock said. "Bruno really knows what he's doing."
"Clefairy, another Metronome," Selina said.
"Why does Selina keep using Metronome?" Misty asked Brock.
"Selina's really young," Brock replied. "Maybe she thinks she can win by trusting to luck."
Clefairy did another Metronome. This time Clefairy dug under the stadium floor.
"The Dig move," Bruno guessed. "Hitmontop, Detect."
Hitmontop made a weird sound as it used Detect. When Clefairy came up from underground, Hitmontop easily moved out of the way.
Ash checked his Pokedex again.
"Detect," it said. "This move, when used the first time in any one battle, will help the Pokemon escape from an attack 100% of the time. If used again in the same battle, its success decreases."
"Metronome again," Selina said.
Clefairy used yet another Metronome. This time it blew a gust towards Hitmontop.
Hitmontop was nearly blown away by the Gust move, but it stood its ground. It looked damaged, though, since Flying-type attacks work well against Fighting-type Pokemon. (Author's Note: I know Gust is a Normal attack in Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow, but in Gold/Silver, Gust is a Flying-type attack.
"Yay!" Selina cheered, glad she'd finally landed a hit.
"You got lucky on that one," Bruno said. "But you're not lucky enough. Hitmontop, Quick Attack."
Hitmontop moved at Clefairy really fast, knocking it over. Incredibly, Clefairy got back up again.
"Hey, that Clefairy's better trained than I thought," Brock said. "It's just the strategy that needs work."
"Metronome again," Selina said.
Clefairy used STILL another Metronome. It gave Hitmontop a really mean look, scaring it for a second.
Ash checked his Pokedex yet again.
"Mean Look," it said. "When a Pokemon uses Mean Look, the opponent cannot be recalled until it faints."
"Hitmontop, hit it with another Quick Attack," Bruno commanded.
Hitmontop bowled Clefairy over with another Quick Attack. Clefairy got up again but looked weakened.
"This isn't going well," Misty said. "Clefairy's getting creamed out there."
"Clefairy, Metronome!" Selina said again.
After another wave of the fingers, Clefairy sent an energy ring at Hitmontop.
"A Psywave!" Brock said.
"Hitmontop, Agility!" Bruno said.
Hitmontop zipped out of the Psywave's path like Falkner's Pidgeot had zipped out of the way of Ash's Charizard's Flamethrower.
"Metronome," Selina commanded yet again.
This time Clefairy started singing a lullaby.
"Hitmontop, Triple Kick!" Bruno said.
Hitmontop kicked Clefairy three times and stopped it from singing.
"Metronome," Selina said.
"This is getting repetitive," Ash commented.
Clefairy sent some stars at Hitmontop, which hit it thanks to its 100% accuracy.
"Another stroke of luck," Bruno said with disgust. "Hitmontop, Quick Attack."
Hitmontop bowled Clefairy over again with a Quick Attack. Clefairy, incredibly, got up again, but it was greatly weakened and didn't look like it could take another hit.
"Clefairy, Metronome," Selina said.
Now Clefairy withdrew into itself, using Withdraw.
"That won't save you," Bruno said. "Triple Kick."
Hitmontop kicked Clefairy three times again, and this time Clefairy didn't get up again.
"Oh no!" Selina cried, running over to Clefairy's side. Clefairy said something weakly to Selina, letting her know it was ok.
Selina recalled Clefairy and went back to her seat.
"Good work, Hitmontop!" Bruno said, shaking one of Hitmontop's hands. Then he recalled Hitmontop.
"Ok, I didn't exactly get to demonstrate my strategy in that battle thanks to a couple strokes of luck," Bruno said. The audience laughed good-naturedly.
"Now for number two," Bruno said, and everyone raised their hands again.
"You!" Bruno said, pointing to a familiar-looking girl with blue hair and a yellow-and-black striped shirt. "Would you like to come up here, please?"
"You bet!" the girl said enthusiastically. She ran up to where Bruno was.
"She looks familiar..." Ash said.
"What's your name?" Bruno asked the girl.
"My name's Casey," the girl replied.
"Now I remember! She's the girl we met who got the Chikorita from Professor Elm!" Misty said.
"She must have as much confidence as she did when her Chikorita battled Ash's Pikachu," Brock said.
"Chikorita, you're up to bat!" Casey said, baseball still slipping into her speech.
"Hitmonchan, I choose you," Bruno said, sending out a Hitmonchan.
"Hey, Ash, you and me saw Hitmonchan on TV before we met him in Mt. Hideaway, remember?" Brock asked Ash.
"Yeah, I remember," Ash said.
"Chikorita, Tackle Attack!" Casey said.
Casey's Chikorita, who still had that yellow-and-black headband around its forehead, ran to Hitmonchan to try to tackle it.
"Hitmonchan, Mega Punch!" Bruno commanded.
One of Hitmonchan's fists glowed white, and Hitmonchan punched Chikorita with it. It knocked Chikorita clear to the other side of the stadium floor.
"WHOA!" Brock said. "That's powerful!"
"Chikorita, Razor Leaf!" Casey said.
Chikorita sent some Razor Leaves at Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan, Agility!" Bruno said.
Hitmoncahn hopped from side to side repeatedly like a prize fighter, dodging the Razor Leaves.
"Chikorita, hit it with a Body Slam attack!" Casey said.
Chikorita jumped up into the air and tried to belly flop onto Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan, Fire Punch!" Bruno said.
Hitmonchan did an uppercut with one of its fists burning, and Chikorita was knocked high into the air before it landed on the ground, with its leaf on fire.
Panicked, Chikorita ran around in circles trying to put the fire out, while the audience was laughing.
"That reminds me of the time my Charizard burned Chikorita's leaf," Ash said.
Finally the fire burned itself out.
"Grr..." Casey said, getting really mad. "Chikorita, try another Tackle attack!"
Chikorita ran towards Hitmonchan again.
"Hitmonchan, Ice Punch!" Bruno commanded.
Hitmonchan punched Chikorita with its fist on ice. Hitmonchan was lucky and the 10% chance of freezing happened. Chikorita's leaf and its entire body froze into a block of ice. It was obvious that Chikorita couldn't battle any more.
Casey recalled Chikorita and went back to her seat. Bruno, after saying some congratulations to Hitmonchan, recalled it.
"Anyone else?" Bruno asked, causing the audience to raise their hands again.
"Hey there," Bruno said, pointing to a boy who was dressed in a black jump suit. "Wanna come?"
"Sure," the boy said, going to the stadium floor.
"What's your name?" Bruno asked.
"My name's Ray," the boy answered.
"Ok, Ray, let's get started.
"Ok, go Scizor!" Ray said, sending out a Scizor. Ash, Misty, and Brock were briefly reminded of Masamura and Shingo, the Scizor trainers they'd met recently.
"Hitmonlee, I choose you!" Bruno said, sending out a Hitmonlee.
"Scizor, Quick Attack!" Ray said.
Scizor flew at Hitmonlee, but Hitmonlee jumped over it.
"Hitmonlee, increase your Attack power with your Meditate!" Bruno said.
Hitmonlee meditated for a bit, glowing red.
"Scizor, Double Team!" Ray commanded.
Scizor split into three Scizors.
"Hitmonlee, Foresight!" Bruno said.
Hitmonlee shot a red beam out of its eyes, reminding our heroes of how HootHoots saw through illusions. Now they realized that it hadn't been because of special powers, it had been because of the Foresight move.
The red beam hit all three Scizors, and the one in the middle and the one on the right disappeared, leaving only the left Scizor.
"Scizor, Slash attack!" Ray said.
"Hitmonlee, Rolling Kick!" Bruno commanded.
Scizor flew at Hitmonlee and tried to slash it, but Hitmonlee rolled under it and kicked Scizor, knocking it back very far.
"Powerful moves," Brock commented. "Bruno's trained his Pokemon to be really powerful."
"Scizor, Swords Dance!" Ray said.
"Hitmonlee, Focus Energy!" Bruno said.
Scizor danced a bit, and Hitmonlee glowed for a bit.
"Scizor, Quick Attack!" Ray commanded.
"Hitmonlee, Jump Kick!" Bruno commanded.
Scizor zipped at Hitmonlee, but Hitmonlee hit it with a Jump Kick. Thanks to the Focus Energy, it was a critical hit, and Scizor was knocked so far it hit the wall and fainted.
"HOLY---" Ash said. "Man, that's strong!"
Ray recalled his Scizor with disgust and ran bact to his seat.
"Nice job, Hitmonlee!" Bruno said, patting his Hitmonlee on the head. Bruno then recalled Hitmonlee.
"Well? I need a fourth volunteer," Bruno said. The audience raised their hands again.
"Hey, you there!" Bruno said, calling on the person who had beaten Brock with the Farfetch'd. "How's about coming up here?"
"Yeah, sure," the other trainer said, going to the stadium floor.
"What's your name?" Bruno asked.
It occured to Brock that during his earlier match with the trainer, he had never once asked his name.
"My name's Kyle," the trainer replied.
"You sure seem cocky," Bruno said.
"Well DUH!" Kyle replied. "All your Pokemon are Fighting-type, and I've got a Flying type! This match'll be a breeze!"
"Let me tell you a couple things," Bruno said. "First, you shouldn't always depend on type. And second, not ALL my Pokemon are Fighting-type."
"Yeah, right, you're just trying to trick me into not sending out Farfetch'd," Kyle retorted, sending out his Farfetch'd.
Bruno smiled and sent out an Onix.
This Onix had a scar on his face, and it was gigantic. Our heroes recognized this Onix as the very same one Bruno had convinced to go along with him.
"Oh no..." Kyle replied.
Bruno chuckled.
"Now who's got the type advantage?" Bruno said.
"Farfetch'd, fly high so Onix can't reach you!" Kyle said.
Farfetch'd flew high into the air.
"Onix, Rock Throw!" Bruno commanded.
Onix squinted at Farfetch'd to be sure of its aim, and suddenly it made a rock appear out of nowhere. It whacked the rock at Farfetch'd with its tail. The rock hit Farfetch'd, and it was knocked out of the sky, unconscious.
"Oh my..." Kyle said in surprise, recalling Farfetch'd.
"That's what you get for being cocky," Bruno said, recalling his Onix. Brock was secretly glad that the guy who'd beaten him so easily was now in turn beaten easily.
"SCREW YOU!" Kyle screamed, returning to his seat.
"I need one last volunteer," Bruno said. "Someone else please come forward."
The audience raised their hands again.
"Excuse me," Bruno said, pointing at a very familiar-looking black-haired boy. "Why don't you come up?"
"Sure," the boy said, his voice also sounding familiar.
The boy went to the stadium floor.
"What's your name?" Bruno asked.
"My name's Pete Pebbleman," the boy answered.
"Pete Pebbleman is HERE?" Ash asked rhetorically, surprised. He remembered how, in his third match in the Pokemon League, on the Ice field, he faced Pete Pebbleman, whose strongest Pokemon was his Arcanine.
"Send out your Pokemon, and we'll get started," Bruno said.
"This one can fight at long distance, unlike most of YOUR Pokemon," Pete said. "Go, Arcanine!"
Pete sent out Arcanine.
"That Arcanine looks pretty tough," Bruno admitted. "I guess it's now time to send out my most POWERFUL Pokemon."
"Most powerful Pokemon? I've never seen his most powerful Pokemon before," Brock said. "I used to think it was his Hitmonchan or Onix."
"Machamp, I choose you!" Bruno said, sending out Machamp. This Machamp, if even possible, looked MORE muscular than other Machamps.
"Arcanine, start things off with your Ember attack!" Pete said.
Arcanine shot some embers at Machamp, but Machamp simply bent its head, and the embers whistled harmlessly past its ear.
"Machamp, Low Kick!" Bruno commanded.
Machamp crouched down and kicked Arcanine's belly. The blow was so powerful that Arcanine doubled over in pain.
Arcanine got up, though.
"Arcanine, Take Down attack!" Pete said.
"Machamp, Seismic Toss!" Bruno said.
Arcanine rushed at Machamp, who simply grabbed it, jumped up, and slammed it into the ground, jumping away afterwards.
"Arcanine, try that Dragon Rage technique I taught you," Pete said.
Ash grimaced. He remembered how his Kingler had been defeated by the Dragon Rage in the Pokemon League match. Ash didn't know how Machamp was going to survive this.
But not only did Machamp survive the waterspout that was the Dragon Rage, it didn't even get hit. It just rolled to the side gracefully.
"Whoa!" Misty said. "I never knew a Machamp could be graceful."
"Most Machamps are slow and clumsy," Brock explained, "but since this one was trained by Master Bruno, it's obviously the most well trained Machamp in the world."
"Machamp, Karate Chop!" Bruno commanded.
Machamp jumped at Arcanine and repeatedly hit it with Karate Chops. Arcanine's face was heavily bruised, and it collapsed unconscious.
"Oh no!" Pete said, recalling Arcanine. He returned to his seat.
"Good job, Machamp!" Bruno said, hugging his Machamp. Then he recalled it.
"That was all the volunteers I've agreed to battle," Bruno said. "Now I'll tell you how I became so good a trainer that I'm a member of the Elite Four."
"I can't wait to hear this," Misty said.
"There are really only three things you need to train your Pokemon in," Bruno said. "Grace, accuracy, and power."
He continued, "When a Pokemon has grace, it can dodge ANY attack, regardless of its own speed. I didn't demonstrate that very well battling Clefairy because Clefairy had a couple of strokes of luck, but you saw that in my other battles, my Pokemon never even got hit. That is because they are graceful enough to dodge the attacks."
"But you must also train Pokemon in accuracy," Bruno said. "If you train a Pokemon's accuracy well enough, the Pokemon will be able to land any attack it makes, and that will save your neck in the long run, because you might need to land powerful but not very accurate moves like Horn Drill and Dynamicpunch."
"Finally, you must train in power," Bruno said. "If your Pokemon has enough power, it can finish a fight really quickly, and sometimes in battles you need to finish off an opponent's Pokemon quickly before the opponent uses whatever strategy he or she has planned."
"Remember, though, that just ONE of those will not save you," Bruno continued. "If you train only in grace, the Pokemon will be able to dodge all attacks, but it might not LAND any attacks, and those it does land will be weak. Therefore, if you train only in grace, the opponent's Pokemon will wear out your Pokemon simply by tiring it out."
"Training only in accuracy may be deceptively unhealthy," Bruno said. "It's nice to be able to land all attacks, but if the Pokemon has no grace, it, too, will be hit by many attacks, and if you don't train in power, those attacks will be more powerful than the Pokemon itself can dish out."
"And of course, training in only power is obviously bad," Bruno said. "If the Pokemon has no grace and no accuracy, it will not be able to dodge any attack and it won't land any, either. Therefore, it would lose every battle simply by being outclassed."
"But train in all three," Bruno continued, "and your Pokemon will be nearly unbeatable, like mine are. That's all I have to say, so please leave this demonstration with my strategies in your hearts."
With that, everyone left the area, including our heroes.
The End
***
E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com.
by Martial Arts Master
Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, Satoshi Tajiri, TV Tokyo, and Wizards of the Coast. I made up Selina, Ray, and Kyle, though. This story takes place after the "Wired For Battle" episode just like my "Electric Teamwork" fanfic did. Now, let's start the story!
***
Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were walking through the forest yet AGAIN, still headed for Azalea Town.
Suddenly a male trainer with orange hair, a green shirt, and plaid pants ran up to them.
"I'm looking for Brock Harrison from Pewter City," the trainer said. "Ya know him?"
"Yeah, I'm Brock!" Brock said.
"I'd like to have a match," the other trainer said. "At least, if you're the former Pewter City Gym Leader others claim you are."
"Of course I am!" Brock said. "Let's get started."
"Wonder why he didn't challenge ME," Ash whispered to Misty.
"Maybe because you're not a Gym Leader like Brock is," Misty whispered back.
"Let's each use our WEAKEST Pokemon so they can get some experience," the other trainer said.
"Fine with me," Brock said.
He brought out Zubat's Poke Ball and threw it, saying, "Zubat, here we go!"
Zubat came out of its Poke Ball, and the ball returned to Brock's hand.
"Farfetch'd, let's cream this guy!" the other trainer said, sending out a Farfetch'd.
"This should be interesting," Misty said to herself. "The only time Brock's ever used Zubat in battle was at Mount Moon."
Unfortunately for Brock, the other trainer overheard.
"Only one battle?" the other trainer asked rhetorically, guffawing. "My Farfetch'd is my least experienced Pokemon, and it's been in 53 battles!"
"53?!" Brock shouted, sweatdropping.
"Wanna back down?" the other trainer taunted.
"No way," Brock said. "Zubat, Supersonic!"
"Farfetch'd, Sand Attack!" the other trainer commanded.
Farfetch'd sent out some sand at Zubat, and Zubat let out Supersonic waves. But Farfetch'd's sand threw off Zubat's aim, and it missed.
"Good job. Now, Leer!" the other trainer commanded.
Farfetch'd's eyes glowed, leering at Zubat and lowering its Defense statistic.
"Zubat, try another Supersonic!" Brock said. "If we confuse it we can win!"
"Farfetch'd, fly away!" the other trainer called out.
Zubat sent out more Supersonic waves, but Farfetch'd flew over them and behind Zubat.
"Finish it off with a Fury Attack!" the other trainer commanded.
Farfetch'd whacked Zubat with its leek repeatedly, and Zubat fainted.
"Oh no!" Brock said, running over to its Zubat. It checked Zubat's pulse, and luckily Zubat's pulse was still strong and steady. Brock recalled Zubat.
"That's what happens when you under-use one of your Pokemon," the other trainer said, giving his Farfetch'd a hug and recalling it.
"And you were the former Pewter City Gym Leader," the other trainer said, scoffing. The other trainer then ran off.
"I think the other trainer has a point," Ash said. "You usually use Geodude, Onix, or Vulpix."
"And what about you? You usually use Pikachu," Brock retorted.
Ash sweatdropped.
"It looks like I'll have to learn more about breeding AND training Pokemon," Brock said. "But where will I learn from? It won't just fly up and smack me in the face!"
A poster, blown by the wind, smacked into Brock's face. Brock pulled it off.
"You were saying?" Misty teased.
Brock read the poster and got excited.
"You guys, remember Master Bruno, of the Elite Four?" Brock asked.
Ash and Misty nodded.
"Well Bruno's holding a battle demonstration in a town just north of here!" Brock said. "And admission is free! If we hurry, we can make it!"
With that Brock took off running north.
"Whoa, slow down Brock!" Ash said, he, Misty, and Pikachu running after Brock. Ash whispered to Misty, "I've never seen Brock get this excited before."
"Well, you know how Brock idolizes Bruno," Misty whispered back.
Eventually they arrived at the town.
"Excuse me," Brock said to someone who was passing by. "Do you know how we can get to Bruno's battle demonstration?"
"Oh sure, it's in the center of town," the person said. "In fact, I'm going there now. I'll take you there!"
Later, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were sitting in a stadium. Soon, Bruno came out from a door that led to the stadium floor. Bruno waved to everyone.
Ash, Misty, and Brock recognized him from having met him in Mt. Hideaway.
"Look, it's really him!" Brock said.
"Yeah, I just hope he's competent in battle," Misty said.
"Of course he's competent in battle! He's an Elite Four member, remember?" Brock said.
"Good afternoon, everyone!" Bruno called out to the audience.
"As you may have heard, I'm holding a battle demonstration here just like Prima did on Mandarin Island in the Orange Islands," Bruno continued. "After I hold this battle demonstration, I will tell you all some tips on raising Pokemon."
Bruno smiled as he continued, "Because after all, I may be battling you someday, and I only wanna battle good trainers."
"I will need five Pokemon trainer volunteers, one after another," Bruno finished. "With each of the five volunteers, I will have a one-on-one Pokemon battle. Raise your hand, and I might call on you."
Immediately Ash, Misty, and Brock raised there hands, along with everyone else in the audience. Evidently each and every one of the audience members was a Pokemon trainer too.
Brock pointed a finger at a little blond girl sitting near the front row.
"You, there, would you like to come up?" Bruno asked her.
"Yes, sir," the girl said shyly.
"What's your name, little girl?" Bruno asked.
"My name is Selina," the girl said shyly.
"Well, Selina, let's get the battle over with," Bruno said.
"Yes sir," Selina said, going to the side of the floor opposite Bruno.
"Please send out your Pokemon," Bruno said.
"Ok...Clefairy, come on out," Selina said, sending out a Clefairy.
"A Clefairy?" Brock asked incredulously. "I hope Selina has a good strategy."
"Hitmontop, I choose you!" Bruno said, sending out a Pokemon. This Pokemon kept standing on its head, and it was moving really weirdly.
"What is THAT?!" Ash asked. He nearly brought out his Pokedex, but changed his mind as he didn't want to miss the match.
"A Hitmontop, I guess," Brock said.
"Since you're young and inexperienced, I'll let YOU go first," Bruno said.
"Ok," Selina said meekly. "Clefairy, Metronome."
Clefairy waved its fingers back and forth. Suddenly it curled up into a ball and rolled at Hitmontop.
"Rollout," Bruno guessed. "Hitmontop, Triple Kick."
Hitmontop waited until Clefairy came to it, and then kicked Clefairy three times, knocking it to the ground. Clefairy got up.
"Try another Metronome," Selina suggested.
Clefairy waved its fingers again. It jumped at Hitmontop and clamped Hitmontop in its hands.
"Clamp," Bruno said, chuckling. "We know how to take care of that. Hitmontop, Rapid Spin!"
Hitmontop spun very rapidly like a top, hence its name. Clefairy was dislodged but landed on its feet.
Ash checked Dexter, which said, "Rapid Spin. This move will help a Pokemon escape from binding moves like Bind, Clamp, Wrap, etc."
"Wow, good strategy," Brock said. "Bruno really knows what he's doing."
"Clefairy, another Metronome," Selina said.
"Why does Selina keep using Metronome?" Misty asked Brock.
"Selina's really young," Brock replied. "Maybe she thinks she can win by trusting to luck."
Clefairy did another Metronome. This time Clefairy dug under the stadium floor.
"The Dig move," Bruno guessed. "Hitmontop, Detect."
Hitmontop made a weird sound as it used Detect. When Clefairy came up from underground, Hitmontop easily moved out of the way.
Ash checked his Pokedex again.
"Detect," it said. "This move, when used the first time in any one battle, will help the Pokemon escape from an attack 100% of the time. If used again in the same battle, its success decreases."
"Metronome again," Selina said.
Clefairy used yet another Metronome. This time it blew a gust towards Hitmontop.
Hitmontop was nearly blown away by the Gust move, but it stood its ground. It looked damaged, though, since Flying-type attacks work well against Fighting-type Pokemon. (Author's Note: I know Gust is a Normal attack in Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow, but in Gold/Silver, Gust is a Flying-type attack.
"Yay!" Selina cheered, glad she'd finally landed a hit.
"You got lucky on that one," Bruno said. "But you're not lucky enough. Hitmontop, Quick Attack."
Hitmontop moved at Clefairy really fast, knocking it over. Incredibly, Clefairy got back up again.
"Hey, that Clefairy's better trained than I thought," Brock said. "It's just the strategy that needs work."
"Metronome again," Selina said.
Clefairy used STILL another Metronome. It gave Hitmontop a really mean look, scaring it for a second.
Ash checked his Pokedex yet again.
"Mean Look," it said. "When a Pokemon uses Mean Look, the opponent cannot be recalled until it faints."
"Hitmontop, hit it with another Quick Attack," Bruno commanded.
Hitmontop bowled Clefairy over with another Quick Attack. Clefairy got up again but looked weakened.
"This isn't going well," Misty said. "Clefairy's getting creamed out there."
"Clefairy, Metronome!" Selina said again.
After another wave of the fingers, Clefairy sent an energy ring at Hitmontop.
"A Psywave!" Brock said.
"Hitmontop, Agility!" Bruno said.
Hitmontop zipped out of the Psywave's path like Falkner's Pidgeot had zipped out of the way of Ash's Charizard's Flamethrower.
"Metronome," Selina commanded yet again.
This time Clefairy started singing a lullaby.
"Hitmontop, Triple Kick!" Bruno said.
Hitmontop kicked Clefairy three times and stopped it from singing.
"Metronome," Selina said.
"This is getting repetitive," Ash commented.
Clefairy sent some stars at Hitmontop, which hit it thanks to its 100% accuracy.
"Another stroke of luck," Bruno said with disgust. "Hitmontop, Quick Attack."
Hitmontop bowled Clefairy over again with a Quick Attack. Clefairy, incredibly, got up again, but it was greatly weakened and didn't look like it could take another hit.
"Clefairy, Metronome," Selina said.
Now Clefairy withdrew into itself, using Withdraw.
"That won't save you," Bruno said. "Triple Kick."
Hitmontop kicked Clefairy three times again, and this time Clefairy didn't get up again.
"Oh no!" Selina cried, running over to Clefairy's side. Clefairy said something weakly to Selina, letting her know it was ok.
Selina recalled Clefairy and went back to her seat.
"Good work, Hitmontop!" Bruno said, shaking one of Hitmontop's hands. Then he recalled Hitmontop.
"Ok, I didn't exactly get to demonstrate my strategy in that battle thanks to a couple strokes of luck," Bruno said. The audience laughed good-naturedly.
"Now for number two," Bruno said, and everyone raised their hands again.
"You!" Bruno said, pointing to a familiar-looking girl with blue hair and a yellow-and-black striped shirt. "Would you like to come up here, please?"
"You bet!" the girl said enthusiastically. She ran up to where Bruno was.
"She looks familiar..." Ash said.
"What's your name?" Bruno asked the girl.
"My name's Casey," the girl replied.
"Now I remember! She's the girl we met who got the Chikorita from Professor Elm!" Misty said.
"She must have as much confidence as she did when her Chikorita battled Ash's Pikachu," Brock said.
"Chikorita, you're up to bat!" Casey said, baseball still slipping into her speech.
"Hitmonchan, I choose you," Bruno said, sending out a Hitmonchan.
"Hey, Ash, you and me saw Hitmonchan on TV before we met him in Mt. Hideaway, remember?" Brock asked Ash.
"Yeah, I remember," Ash said.
"Chikorita, Tackle Attack!" Casey said.
Casey's Chikorita, who still had that yellow-and-black headband around its forehead, ran to Hitmonchan to try to tackle it.
"Hitmonchan, Mega Punch!" Bruno commanded.
One of Hitmonchan's fists glowed white, and Hitmonchan punched Chikorita with it. It knocked Chikorita clear to the other side of the stadium floor.
"WHOA!" Brock said. "That's powerful!"
"Chikorita, Razor Leaf!" Casey said.
Chikorita sent some Razor Leaves at Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan, Agility!" Bruno said.
Hitmoncahn hopped from side to side repeatedly like a prize fighter, dodging the Razor Leaves.
"Chikorita, hit it with a Body Slam attack!" Casey said.
Chikorita jumped up into the air and tried to belly flop onto Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan, Fire Punch!" Bruno said.
Hitmonchan did an uppercut with one of its fists burning, and Chikorita was knocked high into the air before it landed on the ground, with its leaf on fire.
Panicked, Chikorita ran around in circles trying to put the fire out, while the audience was laughing.
"That reminds me of the time my Charizard burned Chikorita's leaf," Ash said.
Finally the fire burned itself out.
"Grr..." Casey said, getting really mad. "Chikorita, try another Tackle attack!"
Chikorita ran towards Hitmonchan again.
"Hitmonchan, Ice Punch!" Bruno commanded.
Hitmonchan punched Chikorita with its fist on ice. Hitmonchan was lucky and the 10% chance of freezing happened. Chikorita's leaf and its entire body froze into a block of ice. It was obvious that Chikorita couldn't battle any more.
Casey recalled Chikorita and went back to her seat. Bruno, after saying some congratulations to Hitmonchan, recalled it.
"Anyone else?" Bruno asked, causing the audience to raise their hands again.
"Hey there," Bruno said, pointing to a boy who was dressed in a black jump suit. "Wanna come?"
"Sure," the boy said, going to the stadium floor.
"What's your name?" Bruno asked.
"My name's Ray," the boy answered.
"Ok, Ray, let's get started.
"Ok, go Scizor!" Ray said, sending out a Scizor. Ash, Misty, and Brock were briefly reminded of Masamura and Shingo, the Scizor trainers they'd met recently.
"Hitmonlee, I choose you!" Bruno said, sending out a Hitmonlee.
"Scizor, Quick Attack!" Ray said.
Scizor flew at Hitmonlee, but Hitmonlee jumped over it.
"Hitmonlee, increase your Attack power with your Meditate!" Bruno said.
Hitmonlee meditated for a bit, glowing red.
"Scizor, Double Team!" Ray commanded.
Scizor split into three Scizors.
"Hitmonlee, Foresight!" Bruno said.
Hitmonlee shot a red beam out of its eyes, reminding our heroes of how HootHoots saw through illusions. Now they realized that it hadn't been because of special powers, it had been because of the Foresight move.
The red beam hit all three Scizors, and the one in the middle and the one on the right disappeared, leaving only the left Scizor.
"Scizor, Slash attack!" Ray said.
"Hitmonlee, Rolling Kick!" Bruno commanded.
Scizor flew at Hitmonlee and tried to slash it, but Hitmonlee rolled under it and kicked Scizor, knocking it back very far.
"Powerful moves," Brock commented. "Bruno's trained his Pokemon to be really powerful."
"Scizor, Swords Dance!" Ray said.
"Hitmonlee, Focus Energy!" Bruno said.
Scizor danced a bit, and Hitmonlee glowed for a bit.
"Scizor, Quick Attack!" Ray commanded.
"Hitmonlee, Jump Kick!" Bruno commanded.
Scizor zipped at Hitmonlee, but Hitmonlee hit it with a Jump Kick. Thanks to the Focus Energy, it was a critical hit, and Scizor was knocked so far it hit the wall and fainted.
"HOLY---" Ash said. "Man, that's strong!"
Ray recalled his Scizor with disgust and ran bact to his seat.
"Nice job, Hitmonlee!" Bruno said, patting his Hitmonlee on the head. Bruno then recalled Hitmonlee.
"Well? I need a fourth volunteer," Bruno said. The audience raised their hands again.
"Hey, you there!" Bruno said, calling on the person who had beaten Brock with the Farfetch'd. "How's about coming up here?"
"Yeah, sure," the other trainer said, going to the stadium floor.
"What's your name?" Bruno asked.
It occured to Brock that during his earlier match with the trainer, he had never once asked his name.
"My name's Kyle," the trainer replied.
"You sure seem cocky," Bruno said.
"Well DUH!" Kyle replied. "All your Pokemon are Fighting-type, and I've got a Flying type! This match'll be a breeze!"
"Let me tell you a couple things," Bruno said. "First, you shouldn't always depend on type. And second, not ALL my Pokemon are Fighting-type."
"Yeah, right, you're just trying to trick me into not sending out Farfetch'd," Kyle retorted, sending out his Farfetch'd.
Bruno smiled and sent out an Onix.
This Onix had a scar on his face, and it was gigantic. Our heroes recognized this Onix as the very same one Bruno had convinced to go along with him.
"Oh no..." Kyle replied.
Bruno chuckled.
"Now who's got the type advantage?" Bruno said.
"Farfetch'd, fly high so Onix can't reach you!" Kyle said.
Farfetch'd flew high into the air.
"Onix, Rock Throw!" Bruno commanded.
Onix squinted at Farfetch'd to be sure of its aim, and suddenly it made a rock appear out of nowhere. It whacked the rock at Farfetch'd with its tail. The rock hit Farfetch'd, and it was knocked out of the sky, unconscious.
"Oh my..." Kyle said in surprise, recalling Farfetch'd.
"That's what you get for being cocky," Bruno said, recalling his Onix. Brock was secretly glad that the guy who'd beaten him so easily was now in turn beaten easily.
"SCREW YOU!" Kyle screamed, returning to his seat.
"I need one last volunteer," Bruno said. "Someone else please come forward."
The audience raised their hands again.
"Excuse me," Bruno said, pointing at a very familiar-looking black-haired boy. "Why don't you come up?"
"Sure," the boy said, his voice also sounding familiar.
The boy went to the stadium floor.
"What's your name?" Bruno asked.
"My name's Pete Pebbleman," the boy answered.
"Pete Pebbleman is HERE?" Ash asked rhetorically, surprised. He remembered how, in his third match in the Pokemon League, on the Ice field, he faced Pete Pebbleman, whose strongest Pokemon was his Arcanine.
"Send out your Pokemon, and we'll get started," Bruno said.
"This one can fight at long distance, unlike most of YOUR Pokemon," Pete said. "Go, Arcanine!"
Pete sent out Arcanine.
"That Arcanine looks pretty tough," Bruno admitted. "I guess it's now time to send out my most POWERFUL Pokemon."
"Most powerful Pokemon? I've never seen his most powerful Pokemon before," Brock said. "I used to think it was his Hitmonchan or Onix."
"Machamp, I choose you!" Bruno said, sending out Machamp. This Machamp, if even possible, looked MORE muscular than other Machamps.
"Arcanine, start things off with your Ember attack!" Pete said.
Arcanine shot some embers at Machamp, but Machamp simply bent its head, and the embers whistled harmlessly past its ear.
"Machamp, Low Kick!" Bruno commanded.
Machamp crouched down and kicked Arcanine's belly. The blow was so powerful that Arcanine doubled over in pain.
Arcanine got up, though.
"Arcanine, Take Down attack!" Pete said.
"Machamp, Seismic Toss!" Bruno said.
Arcanine rushed at Machamp, who simply grabbed it, jumped up, and slammed it into the ground, jumping away afterwards.
"Arcanine, try that Dragon Rage technique I taught you," Pete said.
Ash grimaced. He remembered how his Kingler had been defeated by the Dragon Rage in the Pokemon League match. Ash didn't know how Machamp was going to survive this.
But not only did Machamp survive the waterspout that was the Dragon Rage, it didn't even get hit. It just rolled to the side gracefully.
"Whoa!" Misty said. "I never knew a Machamp could be graceful."
"Most Machamps are slow and clumsy," Brock explained, "but since this one was trained by Master Bruno, it's obviously the most well trained Machamp in the world."
"Machamp, Karate Chop!" Bruno commanded.
Machamp jumped at Arcanine and repeatedly hit it with Karate Chops. Arcanine's face was heavily bruised, and it collapsed unconscious.
"Oh no!" Pete said, recalling Arcanine. He returned to his seat.
"Good job, Machamp!" Bruno said, hugging his Machamp. Then he recalled it.
"That was all the volunteers I've agreed to battle," Bruno said. "Now I'll tell you how I became so good a trainer that I'm a member of the Elite Four."
"I can't wait to hear this," Misty said.
"There are really only three things you need to train your Pokemon in," Bruno said. "Grace, accuracy, and power."
He continued, "When a Pokemon has grace, it can dodge ANY attack, regardless of its own speed. I didn't demonstrate that very well battling Clefairy because Clefairy had a couple of strokes of luck, but you saw that in my other battles, my Pokemon never even got hit. That is because they are graceful enough to dodge the attacks."
"But you must also train Pokemon in accuracy," Bruno said. "If you train a Pokemon's accuracy well enough, the Pokemon will be able to land any attack it makes, and that will save your neck in the long run, because you might need to land powerful but not very accurate moves like Horn Drill and Dynamicpunch."
"Finally, you must train in power," Bruno said. "If your Pokemon has enough power, it can finish a fight really quickly, and sometimes in battles you need to finish off an opponent's Pokemon quickly before the opponent uses whatever strategy he or she has planned."
"Remember, though, that just ONE of those will not save you," Bruno continued. "If you train only in grace, the Pokemon will be able to dodge all attacks, but it might not LAND any attacks, and those it does land will be weak. Therefore, if you train only in grace, the opponent's Pokemon will wear out your Pokemon simply by tiring it out."
"Training only in accuracy may be deceptively unhealthy," Bruno said. "It's nice to be able to land all attacks, but if the Pokemon has no grace, it, too, will be hit by many attacks, and if you don't train in power, those attacks will be more powerful than the Pokemon itself can dish out."
"And of course, training in only power is obviously bad," Bruno said. "If the Pokemon has no grace and no accuracy, it will not be able to dodge any attack and it won't land any, either. Therefore, it would lose every battle simply by being outclassed."
"But train in all three," Bruno continued, "and your Pokemon will be nearly unbeatable, like mine are. That's all I have to say, so please leave this demonstration with my strategies in your hearts."
With that, everyone left the area, including our heroes.
The End
***
E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com.